CMOs to watch in 2025

The list of chief marketing officer concerns is not getting any shorter, with marketers wrestling with everything from AI complications to potential tariffs as the year begins. Also, the CMO job itself is under constant scrutiny as CEOs demand more, and different, things from the role. Marketers must navigate all this while focusing on solving business problems specific to the categories they operate in—and on that front, the to-do list is often endless. Below, a look at some of the challenges facing 12 CMOs overseeing marketing for everything from beer and pizza to pharmaceuticals and banking. Plus, we examine one important CMO job that has yet to be filled. Read Ad Age’s 2025 predictions stories here Jenna Bromberg Chief marketing officer, Papa Johns Bromberg joined Papa Johns in November, bringing her back to the pizza category after her time at Pizza Hut earlier in her career. She has already signaled that she was not pleased with “Better Get You Some,” Papa Johns’ latest campaign from The Martin Agency. “The execution and timing didn’t resonate as we’d hoped. We got out of position on value,” Bromberg said during Papa Johns’ recent analyst day, suggesting that the spots did not drive home menu deals like competitors do. Consumers will see a refocus on messaging about quality and more investment in social media content, she added. Bromberg will have a tough climb ahead to bring Papa Johns up from the back of the pack: Papa Johns’ North American comparable sales were down 6% in the third quarter, while Domino’s U.S. same-store sales were up 3%. Alex Craddock Chief marketing and content officer, Citigroup The pressure is on for Craddock, the former global CMO at Blackrock, who joined Citi in May as its first chief marketing and content officer following Carla Hassan’s departure as CMO in 2021. The firm faces immense scrutiny as CEO Jane Fraser seeks to undo decades of underperformance. Craddock will need to differentiate Citi in a sluggish category where brands often run similar marketing playbooks heavily reliant on sports and entertainment. Norm de Greve Global CMO, General Motors The former CVS CMO has kept a low public profile since taking the GM job in mid-2023. He has been plenty busy behind the scenes, overseeing a massive agency review that resulted in a new creative roster and a consolidation of CRM with Omnicom. De Greve has put a lot of faith in Martin Sorrell’s Monks, which was hired to create customized content at scale for all of GM’s brands, including through the use of AI. Add it up and it means a lot of marketing changes at once for the automaker, which must manage complicated relationships with dealers while navigating big changes in the automotive sector—including investing in EVs while keeping sales of gas-powered vehicles humming. Esi Eggleston Bracey Chief growth and marketing officer, Unilever Esi Eggleston Bracey is in the rare spot of being a Procter & Gamble-trained marketer who’s now at rival Unilever, where she was promoted to chief growth and marketing officer in early 2024. If that’s not enough paradox, she also leads marketing for the Cannes Lions Marketer of the Year in 2024 which, because of spotty marketplace results, saw its stock price rise less than 5% over the past five years. She led a Unilever beauty business from 2018 to 2023 whose Dove brand helped get Crown Act legislation against natural hair discrimination enacted broadly in the U.S. But a driving force at Unilever today is activist investor and board member Nelson Peltz, who helped install Hein Schumacher as the company’s CEO in 2023 and, in a November 2024 CNBC interview, acknowledged hosting a breakfast that “reunited” Donald Trump with Elon Musk, whose X agreed to drop Unilever from its lawsuit alleging industry collusion over brand safety issues. Also: Unilever is an Ad Age Marketer to Watch in 2025 Read Ad Age’s Best of 2024 stories here Tariq Hassan Chief marketing and customer experience officer, McDonald’s USA Since hiring Wieden+Kennedy New York in 2019, McDonald’s enjoyed widespread praise for shifting its marketing approach to lean into so-called “fan-truths,” leading to breakthrough partnerships and ads that were accompanied by growing sales. But 2024 was a tougher year for the world’s largest restaurant chain as it dealt with an E. coli outbreak and pesky food inflation that dampened sales. McDonald’s, like most of the industry, is relying on value meals to keep customers happy—and it’s up to Hassan and W+K to find creative ways to spread that message. Just this week, they launched a McValue campaign fronted by John Cena. Kenny Mitchell Chief marketing officer, Levi’s In his post since 2023, Mitchell has already made a mark on the 172-year-old clothier. In September, he took advantage of last year’s Beyoncé song shoutout by debuting a campaign that starred the singer recreating Levi’s iconic Launderette ad—and using its brand archives in the process. Subsequent chapters of the “Reiimagine” campaign are expected to appear later this year and continue to fuel brand momentum, Levi’s executives have said. Like all retail CMOs, Mitchell will need to contend with proposed tariff increases on countries such as China, which experts expect will lead to higher prices and more need for convincing marketing. Drew Panayiotou Chief marketing officer, U.S. refreshment beverages, Keurig Dr Pepper Panayiotou gets the keys to a Ferrari in a healthy and growing Dr Pepper brand, and will oversee a $9 billion portfolio that also includes Canada Dry, Mott’s, A&W, Snapple, 7Up and Core Hydration. Panayiotou was hired to accelerate a digital marketing approach underway at the company, meant to give its brands the marketing attention they need while they seek new audiences. The company is in the “early innings” of the effort, which includes AI, according to Andrew Archambault, president of U.S. refreshment beverages for Keurig Dr Pepper. Panayioyou joined from Pfizer, where he led the deployment of AI-driven content and media capabilities and developed a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. While there, he also ordered a massive PR, media and creative review and bought a 2024 Super Bowl ad. Panayioyou previously served as CMO of Verily/Google Life Sciences. Read more about Dr Pepper’s marketing success Alison Payne Chief marketing officer, Heineken USA Payne, a former marketer at Pepsi, Kellogg and Diageo, is taking over the top marketing role at Heineken USA as the brewer plans to refocus marketing on its flagship brand following years of spending behind new non-alcohol and low-calorie variants. Payne, who takes over for the departing Jonnie Cahill in January, comes to Heineken USA from the brand’s global commerce leadership team in Amsterdam, where she led the brewer’s international portfolio including Birra Moretti, Edelweiss, Strongbow and Sol. Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2024 Global ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here Susan Rienow Global chief marketing officer, Pfizer Appointed to the top marketing post at Pfizer in July, Rienow is tasked with navigating the pharmaceutical giant through an environment rife with regulatory uncertainty. As one of the top manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer gained widespread awareness. But vaccine marketers could face challenges should Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, be confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary. Rienow, a 24-year Pfizer veteran, will likely continue marketing efforts emphasizing the brand’s commitment to eradicating cancer, which was the focus of its Super Bowl spot last year. Kate Rouch Chief marketing officer, OpenAI As the first chief marketing officer at OpenAI, Rouch, a former CMO at Coinbase, will go “on the offense” to market the maker of ChatGPT. The AI company has exploded in popularity in the last year. Now, Rouch is challenged to build its trust with customers amid criticism and controversy. More from Ad Age: The biggest ad tech stories of 2024 Katie Welch Chief marketing officer, Rare Beauty Welch has been spearheading the marketing strategy behind Selena Gomez’s makeup brand Rare Beauty since 2019, a year before its launch online and in-store at Sephora. In that time, she’s built the brand into a Gen Z juggernaut with buzzy social content (often featuring cameos from its celebrity founder) and led campaigns to promote a slew of new product launches, from perfume to lip oils. Welch took Rare Beauty’s marketing beyond TikTok and Instagram last fall with its first global brand campaign, which also ushered in the brand’s new “Love Your Rare” creative platform. The looming U.S. TikTok ban could spell trouble for Welch if it ends up taking effect on Jan. 19, as it could strip away a significant portion of the online conversation and creator content that has made Rare Beauty so popular among TikTok-obsessed Gen Zers. Allyson Witherspoon VP of global marketing, brand and merchandising, U.S. chief marketing officer, Nissan Few marketers will have as much on their plate in 2025 as Witherspoon, who reclaimed the U.S. CMO title at the automaker in late 2024. It’s a role she had less than two years ago before being promoted to VP of global marketing, brand and merchandising. Now she has both titles, as Nissan puts a lot of faith in her to help orchestrate a turnaround at the struggling automaker. One U.S. dealer is hopeful, telling Automotive News that “Witherspoon is savvy and smart” and “understands how to get resources from headquarters.” Meanwhile, Nissan and Honda will spend much of the year finalizing a merger that was announced in late 2024. It all suggests a busy 2025 for Witherspoon, indeed. Incoming chief marketing officer Geico The door is open for the next top marketer at the insurance giant, following the announcement late last year that Damon Burrell would exit this month after more than two years in the CMO role. In a December company memo, CEO Todd Combs wrote that the insurer has already begun searching for a successor and that the marketing team will report to him during the transition. The new CMO will be tasked with differentiating Geico in the overly cluttered insurance landscape and managing the brand’s $560 million marketing budget, which has declined in recent years.Contributing: Jon Springer, Erika Wheless, Gillian Follett, Jack Neff, Brandon Doerrer

CMOs to watch in 2025

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